Overstory vegetation influence nitrogen and dissolved organic carbon flux from the atmosphere to the forest floor: Boreal Plain, Canada

Abstract

Nitrate, ammonium, total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and flux were measured for one year in bulk deposition and throughfall from three stand types (upland deciduous, upland conifer and wetland conifer) on the Boreal Plain, Canada. Annual (November 2006 to October 2007 water year) flux rates in bulk deposition were 80, 216, 114 and 410 mg N m −2 for nitrate, ammonium, DON and TDN, respectively, and 3.5 g C m −2 for DOC. The nitrate and ammonium flux in throughfall were approximately 50% of the flux in bulk deposition, while TDN flux in throughfall was 60–74% of the flux in bulk deposition. The DOC flux in throughfall was approximately 2 times greater than DOC flux in bulk deposition, while there was no detectable difference in DON flux. The forest canopy generally had the most impact on throughfall chemistry during the active growing season as compared with the dormant season, although DOC concentrations in throughfall of deciduous stands was highest during autumn. For the upland stands, TDN flow-weighted mean concentrations in the snowpack were not detectably different from the concentrations in throughfall and bulk deposition throughout the rest of the year. However, ammonium concentrations were lower and DON concentrations were higher in the snowpack than in either throughfall or bulk deposition for the other seasons, suggesting some transformation of ammonium to DON within the snowpack.